Fencing Stolen Goods and a Fleeced Transaction

The waitress's gaze fell upon the belt, her professional training allowing her to recognize immediately that this was no ordinary item.

Especially those twenty-four evenly inlaid moonstones, each one containing a faint ripple of soul power.

"And then..."

Ye Feng continued:

"Exchange this for a Soul Tool with about ten cubic meters of space; a bracelet or a necklace will do."

The waitress was stunned for a moment, then the smile on her face became even more respectful.

Appraising and exchanging Soul Tools—this was a major transaction.

"Very well, sir, please wait a moment."

Not daring to be negligent, she immediately turned and walked quickly into the inner hall.

Before long, a middle-aged man wearing brocade robes and possessing a slightly plump physique followed her out.

This man was about forty years old, a warm smile perpetually hanging on his face, yet his small, slightly narrowed eyes flickered with the shrewdness unique to a merchant.

The moment he emerged, he locked his gaze onto the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges on the counter.

He only took one look, and his breathing paused imperceptibly for a split second.

"Distinguished guest, please come inside; let us discuss this in detail in a private room."

The middle-aged man smiled and gestured for him to follow.

Ye Feng nodded and followed him through the lobby into an elegant private room.

They took their seats as host and guest, and after a maid served fragrant tea, she quietly withdrew.

Only then did the middle-aged man pick up the belt from the table to examine it closely, his fingertips brushing over each of the twenty-four moonstones one by one.

"A fine item, truly a fine item."

He exclaimed in admiration, then placed the belt back on the table and pushed it toward Ye Feng. His smile remained unchanged, but his words caused the air to freeze instantly.

"This Soul Tool is stolen goods, isn't it!"

The tone was flat, as if he were discussing the weather, but the content was like a sharp blade piercing straight to the core.

"Given your status, you shouldn't be able to afford a Soul Tool of this caliber."

The face hidden beneath Ye Feng's hood twitched.

Damn it... this guy has a poisonous tongue!

He laid his cards on the table right from the start without even bothering to beat around the bush.

Was there even a need to ask about its origin?

"Does your Seven Treasure Shop accept it or not?"

Ye Feng couldn't be bothered to play along and threw the question right back at him.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man didn't get angry; instead, he laughed, the glint in his narrowed eyes growing even sharper.

"Heh heh, we accept it, naturally we accept it."

He picked up his teacup and gently blew away the foam.

"However, the price will not be the original price."

"After all, we of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect conduct legitimate business! Dealing with items of unknown origin for you carries a great deal of risk."

Legitimate business?

Ye Feng felt a wave of contempt in his heart.

Could a legitimate business become the wealthiest in the entire Douluo Continent just by selling shiny gemstones? Who was he trying to fool!

However, he kept his expression calm, merely staring coldly at the other party.

"Then tell me, what price do you think is appropriate?"

"Heh heh, this friend is straightforward!"

Seeing how sensible Ye Feng was, the smile on the middle-aged man's face became a bit more sincere.

"Since you are so forthright, I, Ning Lan, will not swindle you. This Soul Tool has a total of twenty-four cubic meters; how about I give you a price of six thousand five hundred Gold Soul Coins per cubic meter?"

"That low?"

Ye Feng couldn't help but speak up.

Although he didn't know the market for Soul Tools like the back of his hand, he had read about it in books.

"On the Douluo Continent, the most basic storage Soul Tool, with one cubic meter of space, costs at least eight thousand Gold Soul Coins. For a mid-level item of 'this caliber' that already has a certain reputation, the value per cubic meter should start at no less than twelve thousand Gold Soul Coins!"

This old fox had slashed the price by nearly half the moment he opened his mouth!

"Heh, friend, that is where you are mistaken."

Ning Lan slowly set down his teacup.

"Twelve thousand per cubic meter is the price at which we sell items at the Seven Treasure Shop.

That is the price for distinguished guests with clean backgrounds and reputable standing."

"But as for this of yours..."

He pointed at the belt on the table:

"Its origins are unclear. If we take it in, we have to expend great effort to wipe away the spiritual imprint, and then find a way to offload it through special channels.

If the original owner comes knocking, our Seven Treasure Shop has to shoulder the risk and smooth over the trouble for you. All of this, these are costs."

"How about this."

Ning Lan seemed to have made a difficult decision, slapping his thigh:

"I will take the initiative and add a little more for you. One final price: seven thousand Gold Soul Coins per cubic meter! This is already the limit!"

"If you are not satisfied, friend, you are welcome to take it to other shops in the city and ask around. See if they even dare to accept it, and what kind of price they would offer you."

Having said this, Ning Lan leaned back in his chair, smiling as he watched Ye Feng, then picked up his teacup and said no more.

A naked threat.

He had him cornered!

Ye Feng's fists, hidden beneath his black robe, clenched and then slowly relaxed.

He knew the other man was speaking the truth.

Aside from the Seven Treasure Shop, there was likely no other place in Aolin City that would dare to touch this hot potato.

Even if there were, they would only drive the price down further, or perhaps even kill him to seize the goods.

Fine. It was a windfall anyway. Being able to exchange it for clean money and a desperately needed new Soul Tool was worth the gouging.

"Fine."

Ye Feng's voice remained hoarse.

"We shall go with the price you stated.

Exchange it for a ten-cubic-meter Soul Tool, bracelet-style.

The remainder, convert it all into a Gold Soul Coin card."

"Good! Deal!"

The smile on Ning Lan's face instantly blossomed, as radiant as a blooming chrysanthemum.

He clapped his hands decisively.

Soon, a maidservant walked in carrying an exquisite sandalwood box and placed it respectfully in front of Ye Feng.

Ye Feng opened the box.

Inside lay a silver bracelet, simple in style, with no superfluous decorations on its surface.

It looked decent.

Ye Feng picked up the bracelet, injected his soul power, and swept it with his spiritual sense; inside was indeed a stable space of about ten cubic meters.

He immediately fastened it onto his wrist.

"This Soul Tool is valued at 110,000 Gold Soul Coins," Ning Lan explained from the side.

"Your Soul Tool belt has a total value of 168,000 Gold Soul Coins. After the deduction, the remaining 58,000 Gold Soul Coins have all been converted into a Gold Soul Coin card for you. Please, keep it safe."

As he spoke, he pushed a purple-gold card toward Ye Feng.

What a damn rip-off.

A ten-cubic-meter Soul Tool, sold for 110,000.

Ye Feng cursed inwardly, but his movements were swift.

He picked up the Gold Soul Coin card, confirmed it was correct, and then, right in front of Supervisor Ning, transferred everything he had originally stored in the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges—those few Soul Beast Illustrated Handbooks, over a thousand Gold Soul Coins, and the newly acquired Gold Soul Coin card—into the new bracelet Soul Tool.

Having finished all this, he stood up, placed the now-empty belt on the table, turned, and walked away without a single word of unnecessary chatter.

Watching Ye Feng's departing back, the smile on Ning Lan's face in the private room could no longer be contained, stretching almost to his ears.

He picked up the storage Soul Tool belt, unable to put it down.

He had struck gold!